Okay, here’s some breaking news that has us a bit shell-shocked. It appears that director Frank Darabont has stepped down as showrunner for AMC’s “The Walking Dead”. Read on for all the details.

According to Deadline, Frank Darabont, the creator, executive producer and director of AMC’s smash hit “The Walking Dead”, is stepping down as showrunner of the series, which is now in production on its upcoming second season. The news is even more surprising given the fact that Darabont was on hand for “The Walking Dead”‘s Comic-Con panel just this past Friday alongside fellow executive producers Robert Kirkman, on whose graphic novel the series is based, and Gale Anne Hurd. There is speculation that Darabont might be off the show completely, but Deadline states that they hear talks are still ongoing about him possibly staying on in some capacity.

Darabont, who shepherded the zombie saga to the small screen and wrote and directed the AMC pilot, hails from the feature world, and Deadline reports that he never quite adjusted to the daily grind of producing a TV series. Last December he considered forgoing a writing staff for Season 2 and assigning scripts to freelancers but ultimately went for the traditional writing staff model recommended by the network and tapped Glen Mazzara as an executive producer and his No. 2. It is unclear if “The Shield” alum Mazzara, who has showrunning experience, would now step in to run “The Walking Dead”.

Deadline reports that the behind-the-scenes turmoil has not affected production on the show, which continues as scheduled. Season 2 of “The Walking Dead” is slated to premiere October 16th.